1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to fences, particularly those used for residential purposes, and in particular, to devices and methods to deter vegetation growth under the fences.
2. Problems in the Art
Property owners many times erect fences to delineate property boundaries, to obtain privacy, or to restrict either access to or egress out of the property at that location. The most popular types of fences, particular for residential properties, are chain link fences and wooden board fences.
Both types generally include fence posts secured in the ground at regularly spaced intervals. The fence itself is usually built between posts and above the ground. It is usually intended and desired that the bottom of the fence extend to the ground or as close to the ground as possible to provide a barrier to entry or exit of even smaller animals or pets.
Several problems face the fence owner. First, when installing the fence there are limitations as to how close to the ground the fence can be placed, especially if there are changes in the contour of the ground along the fence. Chain length fencing has some ability to follow such contours, but if the fence is to be held tight between posts, such flexibility is limited. Wooden fences can be customized as to each board's length, and thus theoretically could adapt to any contour. However, realistically, most fences come premanufactured with boards of the same length. It is usually desired to have the top of the fence relatively uniform, and therefore, varying the height of several boards to meet a depression or raised portion of the ground is not desirable.
Secondly, trimming grass and weeds and other vegetation around the fence bottom can be difficult and time consuming. While labor-reducing devices such as string trimmers are in wide use, it is still time consuming to trim along fences, and most fences tend to wear away the string of such trimmers at a substantial rate.
Thus there is a need for a solution to the problems of building a fence only to have gaps between portions of the fence bottom and the ground, especially where there are undulations or changes in the contour of the ground along the fence, especially between fence posts, and of building a fence and facing the task of keeping it free from vegetation or having an unsightly fence row.
Somewhat surprisingly, there are a significant number of issued patents that address the issue of providing a barrier to vegetation along a fence bottom. Examples can be found at:
______________________________________ PATENT NUMBER ISSUE DATE PATENTEE ______________________________________ 2,826,398 3/11/58 MILLER 3,515,873 6/02/70 ABBE 3,713,624 1/30/73 NIEMANN 3,806,096 4/23/74 ECCLESTON ET AL. 4,349,989 9/21/82 SNIDER, JR. 4,497,472 02/05/85 JOHNSON 5,178,369 01/12/93 SYX 4,907,783 3/13/90 FISK ET AL 4,964,619 10/23/90 GLIDDEN, JR. 5,285,594 2/15/94 PENNY 5,328,156 7/12/94 HOKE ______________________________________
However, none of these patents address satisfactorily the first problem discussed above; namely, how to block gaps that exist or form between the bottom of a fence and the ground. Patents such as Abbe are buried in the ground, and therefore follow the ground contour, but have no upwardly extending portion. Therefore, big gaps would remain. Others are too structurally rigid to bend, once installed, or do not have anyway to bend to follow a ground contour.
Moreover, many of the patents are complex, expensive to make or install, or otherwise have deficiencies that could allow improvement. A subtle deficiency in some prior art attempts is that part of the installation would have to occur on the adjoining property owner's land, which sometimes is not possible or will not be permitted.
Therefore, despite a seemingly substantial number of attempts at solving the problems with the bottoms of fences, a real need in the art has been identified. It is therefore a principle object of the present invention to overcome the problems and deficiencies in the art.
Still further objects of the present invention are to provide an improved gap blocker and vegetation barrier for fence bottoms which:
1. can be conformed to a wide variety of ground contours and fence bottoms while maintaining both functions of blocking any gaps and deterring vegetation growth. PA0 2. is strong and durable, even when stepped by persons or animals and run over by mowers. PA0 3. is easy to install. PA0 4. is economical. PA0 5. is flexibly adaptable regarding type of fence, type of barrier desired, coverage of barrier desired, size and length of fencing, number of corners of fencing, and other characteristics of fences, ground and environment. PA0 6. can be retrofitted to existing fences of many different types or installed with the installation of a new fence. PA0 7. is effective to block gaps and deter vegetation growth at the bottom of fences. PA0 8. is aesthetically pleasing.
These and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent with reference to the accompanying specification and claims.